Brock Samson
Brock Samson is a main character on the Adult Swim show The Venture Bros. He is a parody of Doc Savage, Race Bannon, and other masculine, super-competent characters from other adventure serials. He is voiced by Patrick Warburton. Background Little has been revealed in the series about Brock's upbringing. He was born the older of two children to a single mother in Omaha, Nebraska and is of Swedish, Polish, and Winnebago ancestry. He lost his virginity at the age of fourteen and pursues a highly promiscuous lifestyle as an adult. There are several references to the state of Minnesota throughout the series in relation to Brock: e.g., Minnesota Vikings logo on his headphones and Hunter saying he's "from the land of the lakes." He attended college on a football scholarship to "State University" in the early 1980s, where his fellow students included Thaddeus "Rusty" Venture, The Monarch, Pete White, and Werner Ünderbheit. He roomed with Dr. Venture but the two never socialized. He was expelled from the university after accidentally killing his team's quarterback during practice, leaving him with a guilt he has carried ever since. After leaving school he joined the United States Marine Corps, and was eventually recruited by the Office of Secret Intelligence, a SHIELD-esque organization of super-agents. There he was taken under the wing of Colonel Hunter Gathers, an eccentric yet brilliant secret agent (modeled after Hunter S. Thompson) who Brock later described as "the second-closest thing to a father I ever had." As an O.S.I. agent Brock was granted License to Kill, a freedom he exercised with great zeal. Brock's career as an O.S.I. field agent effectively came to an end when he became involved in an attempt by Colonel Gathers to expose the Guild of Calamitous Intent in the episode The Invisible Hand of Fate. This resulted in his assignment by Sergeant Hatred, a double-agent for the Guild, to punitive duty as Dr. Venture's bodyguard (Dr. Venture is perceived largely as a failure by most of the show's characters, and a position as his bodyguard therefore undignified), ostensibly to keep Venture's work from falling into villainous hands. In the episode ORB it is revealed that this assignment was another in a series of ruses stretching back to the late Victorian era enacted to keep agents close to each Venture super-scientist so that they could be killed quickly in the event that they tried to make use of a mysterious artifact known as the Orb. At the end of the third season Molotov Cocktease warned Brock of a plot by the O.S.I. to have him assassinated. He killed three assassins and played the Monarch against the O.S.I., only to learn that they had never intended to have him killed. These experiences relieved him of his zest for killing, and he decided to quit his job. Later he learned that Molotov and Hunter Gathers had hired the assassins in the name of the Blackhearts Elimination Agency, Molotov's all-female organization of contract killers, intending for Brock to kill them so as to eliminate them as competitors. He attempted to revenge himself on the Blackhearts, and although he failed to destroy them, he discovered that Hunter Gathers had in fact infiltrated the group as a member of S.P.H.I.N.X. for the purpose of disbanding it, and that he had never meant for Brock to come to harm. Brock joined S.P.H.I.N.X. between the third and fourth seasons, to aid in their mission against villains whom the O.S.I., limited by bureaucratic restrictions, could not effectively combat. It is hinted in the third season episode "The Buddy System" that Brock may have a teenage son, Dermott Fictel, of whom he is unaware. Dermott himself suggested this possible connection in the episode Tears of a Sea Cow. It is later revealed that Dermott's father is none other than Dr. Venture himself, having had sex with the 15 year old leader of his fan club. Appearance Brock is drawn in an exaggerated muscular style satiric of comic-book superheroes, with an excessively muscular upper body and average legs. Appropriate to his half-Swedish heritage, he has blonde hair and light blue eyes. His mullet hairstyle is a trademark of sorts, of which other characters are frequently critical, though it does earn him the nickname 'Franken-Mullet'. His appearance may be based on the exaggerated style of the He-Man comics, as Col. Gentleman once referred to him caustically as "Prince Adam", or perhaps an allusion to the biblical character Samson for whom he is named. His hair grows steadily longer over the course of the second season, and he grows mutton-chop sideburns. In keeping with the show's vaguely anachronistic sense of fashion, Brock is usually drawn in clothing styles that were popular in the 1970s: four-pocket sports shirts, skin-tight polos, pastel-colored pants, white shoes, and side-zip ankle boots are all recurring items of clothing in his wardrobe. He and Dr. Venture appear to be the only characters on the show with significantly varied wardrobe. Brock also sports a half-finished tattoo of the Swan Song Records logo on his right biceps which he describes as "Icarus from the Led Zeppelin albums." Personality, Abilities and Relationships Though he has become a well-developed, three dimensional character, Brock mostly embodies the 'strong, silent' stereotype. He usually speaks in a low, gravelly murmur and maintains a casual aura. He speaks calmly in anything short of the most urgent circumstances, and his level voice is sometimes at odds with a crazed facial expression. In fits of rage he exhibits near super-human strength, a facial twitch, and the ability to endure almost any kind of physical punishment, including unprotected exposure to the vacuum of outer space. During surgery to remove a bullet from his shoulder in the episode Hate Floats, his body is discovered to harbor three additional bullets, "a blowgun dart, two shark's teeth, the tip of a bayonet, a twisted paper clip, and a meager handful of buckshot," which he had apparently failed to notice. His ability to endure pain is matched by his ability to inflict it, which he does with great enthusiasm. He has shown himself to be capable of killing many different creatures at a moment's notice, including men, monsters, bears, and tyranosaurus. He generally disdains firearms, preferring to kill instead with his hands or his Bowie knife, but occasionally makes exceptions for certain projectile weapons. Despite his disdain for guns, he is an excellent marksman: in the episode "The Incredible Mr. Bisby", Brock repeatedly stops the fall of Dr. Venture by pinning the cuff of his pants to the wall with a dart-gun. He refuses to kill women and children. Brock has a friendly relationship with Dr. Venture, although the two don't always take each other seriously. They have a long history together and have been shown to fondly reminisce about past escapades. He has an avuncular relationship with the Venture boys, who are fond of him as well, to the extent that he frequently shows greater concern for their well-being than Dr. Venture, although both are frequently annoyed by them. By the time of the series his relationship with the Ventures has matured to the point that he refers to them as his family (Hate Floats). He also seems to have a friendly relationship with H.E.L.P.eR., the Ventures' robot, with whom he goes so far as to argue over Led Zeppelin and express shared appreciation for poetry. While much of Brock's past with the OSI has yet to be revealed, one aspect of his career that has been fleshed out considerably is his love/hate relationship with former KGB agent-turned-freelance-mercenary Molotov Cocktease, whom Brock has referred to as the "only woman has ever loved." The two first met early in Brock's career as an O.S.I. agent during a mission in Paris, during which Molotov left Brock temporarily paralyzed in a burning hotel. Molotov serves as an apparently perfect match for Brock. Lethal and extremely resilient, and their rivalry has led to much bloodshed. At some point in their relationship, Brock somehow removed Molotov's left eye, which he keeps in a jar as a forget-me-not. Further complicating their relationship is Molotov's unfailing habit of wearing a chastity belt. Ironically, Molotov wears the chastity belt to honor the dying wishes of her father, whom Brock killed. In the episode Assassinanny 911, Molotov confronts Brock with an offer to run away with her and form a partnership as mercenaries, which he declines, telling Molotov that he won't leave the Ventures, even for her. He seems to be unfazed by most supervillains, despite his comment that the Guild of Calamitous Intent is one of few organizations he respects. The only villain who seems to be able to communicate with Brock on his own level is Phantom Limb. He also has a history with David Bowie, who, in the Venture Brothers universe, is a shapeshifter and the leader of the Guild in addition to a famous performer. Whether or not Brock knows of Bowie's role in the Guild is not clear, but Brock makes it clear that he would be happy to kill Bowie if the opportunity arose. It is of particular note that Brock's personality has evolved considerably throughout the series. In the beginning of the series he seemed to be hostile to most of the family. He largely ignored them, focused on brutally murdering his enemies and having sex as often as possible. As the series has continued he has begun showing affection for the Ventures, and a great deal of concern for their safety. Though a departure from the unfeeling Brock of early episodes, the writers confirm he is still assumed to be the 'Swedish Murder Machine' behind the scenes. Recurring themes * Muscle cars: One of the show's signature vehicles is Brock's orange 1969 Dodge 'Hemi' Charger, which he calls Adrienne and maintains with near-obsessive fastidiousness. On several occasions the car has become an instrument of death and destruction. Brock has used it not only to fatally run down dozens of The Monarch's henchmen, but also to defeat Venture's twin brother, Jonas Venture Jr. Brock has apparently built a flamethrower into the car's steering wheel, and rigged it to activate during any attempt at hotwiring the vehicle. When Brock is forced to destroy the car in The Family That Slays Together, Stays Together (Part I), he is so emotionally affected that he is temporarily unable to speak. In Assisted Suicide, Brock demonstrates what his friends believe to be a 'legitimate superpower': his ability to know when someone is in his car. He also reveals that, after rebuilding the machine, he kitted it with an environmentally safe electric motor. * Classic Rock music: Brock's devotion to Led Zeppelin surfaces in several episodes. Some references are rather subtle (when driving the Charger, Brock almost always is listening to facsimile Led Zeppelin songs) while others are more overt, such as Hank rifling through Brock's collection of "Zep" cassette tapes or Brock drawing the logo of the band's label instead of completing the essay portion of a written exam, in addition to having a (currently incomplete) tattoo of it on his arm. He passionately believes that the band is more than just "jock rock" whose music talks about love and longing... and hobbits. In an "interview" with IGN.com, Brock has stated that his favorite track is Led Zeppelin's "'Moby Dick', live at Montreaux." His password is "John. Bonham. Rocks." In response to a question sent from a fan on MySpace, Doc Hammer stated that Brock also likes Rush (up to the album "Moving Pictures"), early music from the Rolling Stones, Black Sabbath (until Ozzy Osbourne left), and the solo Dio. At some point in his youth, Brock also played the bass guitar (according to the Christmas special - the only episode to mention this - it was painted with zebra stripes - a popular motif among 80s rockers). In said Christmas special, he intended to give it to Hank as a present (whereas Dean was much more difficult to shop for); it is worth noting, however, that all but the last few moments of the episode were part of Dr. Venture's dream sequence, so whether or not he actually played is not currently known. The only other reference to his musical aspirations is his regret, in his possibly non-canon interview with IGN that he regretted not getting a band together (he claimed to play "bass" and "vox" http://movies.ign.com/articles/538/538198p1.html). Hank did receive the bass, as shown in Dr. Quymn, Medicine Woman and a few other episodes. Brock's List of Cool Crap he never thought he'd get to do Due to the extraordinary situations Brock finds himself in due to his work as a member of O.S.I., Team Venture, and as a member of S.P.H.I.N.X., Brock has been able to accomplish things he never thought possible, such as: *His boyhood dream of putting Edgar Allan Poe in a headlock in Escape to the House of Mummies Part II. *Stabbing Adolf Hitler (whose soul was currently inhabiting the body of a dog) to death in Blood of the Father, Heart of Steel. *Killing a polar bear with only a knife in Ice Station – Impossible!. References External links * IGN: 10 Questions: Brock Samson * The Venture Bros.: AdultSwim.com * Brock Samson: MySpace Fan Page Category:The Venture Bros. characters Category:Fictional bodyguards Category:Fictional American people of Swedish descent Category:Fictional American people of Polish descent Category:Fictional Native American people Category:Fictional characters from Nebraska Category:Fictional secret agents and spies Category:Fictional mass murderers Category:Fictional United States Marines es:Brock Samson ru:Брок Самсон